Although we can now use our cell phones to look up cooking recipes for dinner Friday night, or what the weather will be like during a road trip to Boston, most of us rarely take the time to prepare our cell phones for the event of an emergency. These invaluable devices are almost always attached to us in some fashion, whether at the hip or in a purse, and could literally be the only way to get in contact with friends, family, or other important people during an emergency situation. Below are some simple preventative steps you can take now with your refurbished cell phone in order to prepare yourself and your family.

Program Important Numbers into Your Phone

This may seem like a redundant step as you undoubtedly already have your friends and family programmed into your phone, but do you really have all the important numbers easily accessible in your phone book? The 911 emergency network is not the only important number you may need to call.

For example, if you live on a college campus or work in a large office building, there is most likely a security department at your disposal. In the event of an emergency, who would respond to your distress call first, the local police and fire department or the security guards that are already on the premises? Make sure you program the contact number for the security office into your phone and call them if you are in need of immediate assistance. You can either call 911 yourself after contacting them, or the security office will most likely do that themselves if additional help is needed.

Other important numbers may include the emergency veterinary contact for your pets or the local mechanic shop in case of an auto breakdown.

Pre-Write Emergency Text Messages

The last thing you have the time to do is write out important text messages during an actual emergency. You may not be able to talk live on the phone or the signal may be too weak to make an outgoing phone call, but still strong enough to send a text message out to important contacts. Write out emergency text messages such as “Call for help” and save them as a draft that you can easily access. If you have a Twitter account, this would be especially beneficial as it will send this message to everyone on your list.

For new or used cell phones made by Samsumg, pre-programming text messages could be especially helpful. Later models now have an emergency feature where you can program your phone to automatically send out a pre-written text message to up to ten contacts when you press the volume button four times. When a contact from that list calls you back, your phone will automatically connect without having to press a button. Hopefully, all cell phone manufacturers will implement their own version of this emergency feature.

Our minds are often preoccupied during a crisis, so anything than can be done now, no matter how miniscule it may seem, can be nothing but beneficial as it eliminates the amount of distractions and allows you to focus on the emergency at hand. A few simple preventative steps now can make the world of difference during an emergency situation.